Disney Interactive and Nintendo agreement debuts Mickey Mouse in 3D

BURBANK, CA -- Disney Interactive, Inc. and Nintendo of America Inc. today announced a worldwide agreement for Nintendo to publish a portfolio of games for the N64 and Game Boy Color systems. As part of the announcement, Disney's premier character Mickey Mouse will make his first 3D appearance in two games for the N64 platform.

The Mickey products, a 'Mickey Racing' title (Game Boy Color), a 'Disney Racing' title (N64 and Game Boy Color) and a 'Mickey Adventure' title (home console and Game Boy Color), will be created by award-winning developer Rare Ltd., and are scheduled for release during the holiday seasons of 1999, 2000 and 2001, respectively.

Rare's work has won universal acclaim for titles like the Donkey Kong Country series, Diddy Kong Racing, Banjo Kazooie, and the winner of the first-ever 'Game of the Year' award from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences--Goldeneye 007 for the N64.

"We are thrilled to introduce Mickey to an entirely new audience by combining his global popularity with the innovative technology that the Game Boy Color and N64 platforms have to offer," says Jan Smith, Disney Interactive's senior vice president and general manager. "Our relationship with Nintendo and Rare will create the most exciting and immersive Mickey gaming experience ever."

"The incomparable ability of Rare to create interactive magic is about to be integrated with the incomparable appeal of Mickey Mouse," says Howard Lincoln, chairman, Nintendo of America. "The results will broaden the appeal of video gaming to an ever-widening number of households around the world."

Also, as part of the agreement, Disney Interactive will develop multiple titles for the Nintendo Game Boy Color platform. The release of the titles support two key development strategies for Disney Interactive: targeting the girls software market, and creating games which tie to major video releases from Buena Vista Home Entertainment. Scheduled for a Fall 1999 debut are the first two titles, 'Beauty and the Beast' and 'Alice in Wonderland,' which focus on the emerging girls games market.

This relationship complements Disney Interactive's global platform strategy of partnering with leading video game companies, and top-tier developers, to bring its beloved characters to the burgeoning children's video game market.

Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, is the acknowledged worldwide leader in the creation of interactive entertainment. To date, Nintendo has sold more than one billion video games worldwide, and has created such industry icons as Mario and Donkey Kong and franchises like The Legend of Zelda and PokÃ¯Â¿Â½Ã‚Â¿Ã‚Â½mon. Nintendo manufactures and markets hardware and software for its popular home video game systems, including the Nintendo 64 and the Game Boy -- world's best-selling video game system. As a wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in North America.

Rare is a developer and publisher of games for Nintendo video game systems. Rare Ltd. has offices in the United Kingdom, and Rare, Inc., its wholly owned subsidiary, has offices in Miami, Fla. For more information about Donkey Kong 64, Rare or any Rare product, visit Rare's web site on the Internet, www.rareware.com.

Disney Interactive develops, markets and globally distributes a wide variety of interactive family-oriented entertainment and educational CD-ROMs and video games. For more information on Disney Interactive's products, visit www.disneyinteractive,com, part of GO Network.